{"product_id":"9780813934952","title":"The Last Afrikaner Leaders: A Supreme Test of Power","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFinalist for the Alan Paton Award\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn his latest book, renowned historian Hermann Giliomee challenges the conventional wisdom on the downfall of white rule and the end of apartheid. Instead of impersonal forces, or the resourcefulness of an indomitable resistance movement, he emphasizes the role of Nationalist leaders and of their outspoken critic Frederick van Zyl Slabbert. What motivated each of the last Afrikaner leaders, from Verwoerd to de Klerk? How did each try to reconcile economic growth, white privilege, and security with the demands of an increasingly assertive black leadership and unexpected population figures?\u003c\/p\u003e   \u003cp\u003eIn exploring each leader’s background, reasoning, and personal foibles, Giliomee takes issue with the assumption that South Africa was inexorably heading for an ANC victory in 1994. He argues that historical accidents radically affected the course of politics.\u003c\/p\u003e   \u003cp\u003eDrawing on primary sources and personal interviews, Giliomee offers a fresh and stimulating political history that attempts not to condemn but to understand why the last Afrikaner leaders did what they did, and why their own policies ultimately failed them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA 2014 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eReconsiderations in Southern African History\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"University of Virginia Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47118610006256,"sku":"9780813934952","price":39.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780813934952_p0.jpg?v=1772545899","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780813934952","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}